Conf  Pam  12mo  #657 


No.  26. 

THE  SWORD  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

BY  THE  REV.  C.  MALAN.  ^ 

I  was  travelling  toward  Bordeaux,  and  had  just  set 
off  from  Angouleine,  when  a  handsome,  showy-looking 
young  man  accosted  me  politely:  "I  think,  sir,  you 
come  from  Paris."  "I  Jeff  Paris  the  day  before  yester- 
day," I  answered.  "  And  I  suppose,"  he  added  eagerly, 
*'you  have  seen  tlie  'Huguenots'" — a  theatrical  per- 
formance at  that  time,  1839,  very  famous  at  Paris — "  it 
is  a  remarkably  original  composition;  every  one  goes  to 
see  it;  were  you  not  delighted  with  it?"  "The  Hugue- 
nots," I  replied,  taking  my  New  Testament  from  the 
pocket  of  the  coach,  ''  I  have  their  treasure  with  me 
here." 

"The  treasure  of  the  Huguenots,"  said  the  young  man 
with  surprise;  "and  pray  what  is  that?"  "  I  offered 
the  sacred  volume  to  him.  He  read  the  title  and  re- 
turned it  immediately,  saying,  with  scorn,  "Ah,  I  think 
that  book  only  fit  for  old  women  and  weak  minds." 

"  I  know,  sir,"  I  answered  seriously,  "that  it  is  very 
good  for  me,  though  I  am  certainly  not  an  old  woman. 
As  to  a  weak  mind,  1  will  not  decide  upon  that." 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  for  my  foolish  expression  ; 
but  allow  me  to  say,  that  I  cannot  understand  how  a 
man  of  sense  and  education  can  approve,  and  above  all, 
can  believe  such  a  production.  Voltaire  at  least  did  not, 
and  certainly  he  "was  not  wanting  in  discernment,  or 
knowledge,  or  good  sense."  Here  the  pupil  of  such  a 
teacher  repeated,  with  equal  fluency  and  sharpness,  the 
invectives  of  the  philosoj)lier  against  the  Galilean  and 
his  doctrine.  The  incarnation  of  the  word,  the  miracles, 
the  prophesies,  the  death,  and  above  all,  the  resurrection 
of  the  reputed  son  of  Joseph,  were  passed  in  review,  and 
the  conclusion  of  the  whole  argument  was  a  song  of  tri- 
umph as  to  the  reason  and  wisdom  of  the  present  age. 
The  young  unbeliever  was  delighted  ;  he  thought  me 
reduced  to  silence  and  overcome,  for  I  listened  to  the 
whole  without  saying  a  word. 

When  he  had  ended,  I  own  I  was  tempted  to  oppose 
sword   to  sword,  and  to  answer  the  follower  of  Voltaire 


3  THE    SWORD    OF    THE    SPIRIT. 

by  arguments,  as  I  thought,  of  better  reasoning  than  his 
own.  But  I  was  impressed  by  these  words  of  holy  writ, 
"The  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty 
through  God  to  the  pulling  down  of  strong-liolds"  (2  Cor. 
X,  4);  and  leaving  in  its  sheath  the  feeble  weapon  of  my 
own  reason,  I  seized  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  and  an- 
swered only  in  these  words:  "  If  our  gospel  be  hid,  it  is 
hid  to  them  that  are  lost;  in  whom  the  god  of  this  world 
hath  blinded  the  minds  of  them  which  believe  not,  lest 
the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  who  is  the 
image  of  God,  should  shine  unio  them.''    2  Cor.  iv,  3,  4. 

"Yes,  yes,"  replied  the  youth,  ''so  says  that  book; 
but  on  what  authority  does  it  speak,  that  is  the  ques- 
tion." 

"  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,"  I  continued,  still  read- 
ing, "  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of 
God,  or  whether  I  speak  of  myself."     John  vii,  17. 

"  That  is  to  say,"  he  answered,  "that  all  the  learned 
scholars  and  philosophers;  in  short,  all  men  of  sense  and 
judgment,  in  civilized  society — all  these  superior  men 
are  wicked  and  impious,  and  even  atheists  and  scoun- 
drels, because  they  refuse  to  believe  the  mysteries,  not 
to  say  the  absurdities,  of  an  obscure  book." 

"That  your  faith,"  namely,  of  the  Christian,  I  replied, 
still  reading,  "  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men, 
but  in  the  power  of  God."  1  Cor.  ii,  5.  "But  God  hath 
chosen  the  foolish  tilings  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
wise;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the 
world  to  confound  the  mighty."  1  Cor.  i,  27.  "  He  tliat 
believeth  not  is  condemned  already,  because  he  haih 
not  believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begotten  son  of 
God."  John  iii,  18.  "  He  that  believeth  on  the  Sen 
hath  everlasting  life  ;  and  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son 
shall  not  see  life;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him," 
John  iii,  36. 

"Very  well,  sir;  my  lot,  you  think,  is  settled;  and 
hell,  with  everlasting  flames,  is  prtipared  for  me,  and  for 
the  flower  of  the  whole  liuman  race.  I  thank  you  for 
your  charily." 

"Sir,"  I  answered  calmly,  "it  was  not  I,  but  God 
himself,  who  said  by  his  apostle,  that  '  there  is  none 
other  name  under  heaven  given   among  men,  whereby 


THE    SWORD    OF    THE    SPIRIT.  3 

we  must  be  saved,'  but  that  of  Jesus.  Acts  iv,  12. 
Jesus  also  says  to  you,  as  well  as  to  any  other  sinner. 
'  That  whosoever  beli  veth  in  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  eternal  life.'  John  iii,  15,  You  hear  these 
words  ;  they  are  full  of  love  and   mercy." 

The  youth  was  silent,  and  knit  his  brow.  His  coun- 
tenance was  gloomy,  and  for  a  long  while  he  remained 
still.  Night  came  on.  My  neighbor  was  still  dumb,  and 
I  thought  his  ill  humor  would  last  until  he  fell  asleep, 
when,  suddenly  turning  toward  me,  he  said,  with  much 
appearance  of  feeling,  "  Where,  sir,  can  I  obtain  the 
book  you  have  there  ?  for  I  must  tell  you,  I  begin  to 
think  that  perhaps  I  may  be  wrong,  and  that  you  are  in 
the  right  path.  I  am  even  concerned,  sir,  for  the  thought- 
less words  that" I  interrupted  him.     "Pray,  sir,  do 

not  think  of  any  apology;  but  as  you  seem  already  to 
feel  that  the  word  of  God  is  superior  to  that  of  a  philoso- 
pher, do  not  let  us  part  without  your  having  this  book, 
which  you  will  allow  me  to  offer  to  you  when  we  reach 
Bordeaux." 

From  that  happy  moment  our  conversation  was  easy 
and  unrestrained  ;  and  it  was  not  till  after  we  had 
spoken  of  all  the  vital  doctrines  of  Christianity,  that  we 
both  yielded  to  slumber. 

The  next  day  my  young  companion  was  calm,  cordial 
and  perfectly  open ;  and  when  I  left  him,  he  took  my 
hand,  saying,  '*  Do  you  remember  the  promise  that  you 
kindly  made  me  ?  There  is  my  address."  **  In  a  few 
moments,"  I  answered,  "  the  most  precious  of  books 
shall  be  in  your  hands;"  and  I  hastened  to  the  house  of 
a  friend,  a  Christian  brother,  to  whom  I  related  the 
above-mentioned  facts,  and  who  immediately  went  to  the 
house  of  the  young  traveller,  to  whom  he  gave  the  book 
of  God,  accompanying  it  with  words  of  peace.  He  also 
informed  him  that,  on  the  same  day,  and  other  days 
following,  I  should  explain  some  portions  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  at  meetings  to  which  he  would   be  welcome. 

This  invitation  was  not  given  in  vain.  The  S'dwe 
evening  the  young  man,  with  hi.*?  book  under  his  arm, 
came  to  take  his  place  among  the  serious  hearers  whom 
the  gospel  drew  together. 

The  next  day  he  returned  again  at  the  same  hour,  and 


4  THE    SWORB    OF    THK    BFlRl'f 

after  service  came  up  to  me  and  said,  with  earnestness, 
*' Sir,  you  never  can  know  all  the  grood  w^hich  tliis  book 
has  already  done  me,  and  all  the  pleasure  1  have  felt  in 
hearing  you,  both  yesterday  and  to-day.  Henceforth 
this  book  shall  be  my  study  —  my  sole  sludy." 

"And  what  will  you  do  to-morrow?"  I  asked  him. 
^' It  is  the  king's  birthday;  there  will  be  a  great  ball, 
and  much  bustle,  and  no  doubt  you  will  be  invited."  ''I 
have  refused,"  answered  the  young  man,  with  firmness, 
"I  shall  not  be  there.  In  the  morning  I  shall  go  and 
hear  you,  as  you  preach  in  public;  and  in  the  evening, 
if  it  please  God,  I  shall  come  and  hear  you  again." 

He  came;  and,  for  the  first  time,  this  fashionable 
young  man,  who  had  hitherto  made  plays  and  balls  his 
chief  pleasure,  considered  it  his  highest  privilege  to  wor- 
ship God  in  his  temple,  and  in  the  evening  to  join  some 
disciples  of  that  Saviour  whom  he  had  once  learned  to 
scorn. 

On  the  same  evening  I  took  leave  of  this  youthful 
seeker  after  truth.  He  again  expressed  his  gratitude 
and  earnest  desire  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  prayers 
I  offered  for  him,  and  he  declared,  before  many  wit- 
nesses, that  he  believed  the  Bible,  that  he  worshipped 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  desired   to  live  and  die  a  Christian. 

Here  may  be  seen  how  the  word  alone  res^isted  the 
attacks  of  an  infidel,  and  subdued,  at  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
the  follower  of  vanity,  even  one  who  had  long  scoffed  at 
the  Son  of  God  and  his  gracious  offers.  Let  this  word, 
then,  be  in  your  mouth,  when  you  attempt  to  answer  the 
wisdom  of  this  world,  or  the  treacherous  arguments  of 
infidels,  for  this  only  can  reduce  them  to  silence. 

If  you  are  not  a  believer,  but  are  resting  on  y.our  own 
reason,  and  the  Bible  is  in  your  eyes  only  a  book  for 
narrow  and  weak  minds,  learn  that  this  very  word  will 
judge  you  at  the  last  day;  and  it  were  better  for  your 
soul  that  you  had  never  been  born,  than  that,  despising 
Him  who  speaks  to  you  from  heaven,  you  count  as  an 
unholy  thing  the  blood  of  Jesus  shed  upon  the  cross, 
which  alone  can  cleanse  you  from  all  sin. 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  SOUTH  CAROLINA  TRACT  SOCIETY. 

Priutea  hy  Eyans  &  Cogswell.  No,  3  Broa4  street,  Charleaton,  S.  C. 


HoUinger  Corp. 
pH8.5 


